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Type 1 Help with motivation

G

Gray0155555

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi there,
I’ve been a type 1 since 2012 and I have always struggled with the motivation to do my blood sugars regularly! I can go through periods where I can be really good at doing them and then it just comes to a stop and I go back to being **** at checking my sugars! I’ve tried so many things to encourage me to test more but nothing really works! I always forget or say to myself I will do them later but never do! Has anyone got any good tips to help? Thanks
 

Have you tried posting you fbg each morning in this forum ? There are two options low chat and some chat
 
The MySugr app has some clever psychology to get you looking and testing more. Might be worth enquiringly from your team about whether Freestyle Libre is available in your area, that’s made all the difference to me, I rarely tested consistently before.
 
Hi @Gray0155555 . Welcome to the forum.
Apart from the testing how is everything else in your world of diabetes?
Not meaning to pry but what is your overall control like, how are you managing with your medication, are you struggling balancing insulin alongside diet, is diabetes dragging you down?
The reason I ask ( you have no need to answer ) is that finger pricking alone shouldn't be to overwhelming unless it's hurting or the readings are causing you stress.
Some of us will keep a log or diary of day to day management, including BS readings, helpful to look back on and help moving forward. Would having a physical record that needed daily input help?
I have no idea what regime you're on but checking prior to food is probably more important than the insulin itself.
For safety reasons checking before bed should be your No1 priority.
With this in mind you should be checking 3/4 times daily with no excuses. You will be very lucky to have control without these tests.
I just feel that finger pricking isn't the issue, more denial of being diabetic and not wanting to conform. It's unbelievably common for us and at some time or another we all suffer it. Apologies if I'm totally off the mark.
There will be someone here who will be able to help.
Good luck.
 

Thankyou for taking the time to reply, yes your right it’s not the finger pricking or anything else it all comes down to not wanting to do it and conform, and the why do I have to when “normal people don’t”. Which may sound stupid but when you know what it was like when you didn’t have to do your blood sugars 4+ times a day and inject insulin, and then getting T1 then having to do that all really sucks. This in all is why I feel unmotivated or not bothered to check my blood sugars, which in turn of course makes me feel ****! I’m just looking for something that will help me get out of this self destructive cycle I’m in! Thankyou for the suggestion of the diary/record I’m going to order one and give it a go.
 
I can relate to a lot of that. I was diagnosed at 24, somhad must found my feet as an independent adult, doing all the fun stuff that young independent adults do And then BAM. Everything changed. I spent years basically doing the bare minimum of self care, basically pretending that I was like everyone else.

There’s a lot of us here that have had similar feelings and experiences, you’re very much not alone x
 

That makes me feel so very relieved that I’m not on my own Thankyou, and I hope you don’t mind me asking how did you manage to get out of that cycle?
 
I got out of it temporarily when I decided to have a baby, because it was for his benefit. I couldn’t bring a child into the world knowing I haven’t tried my very best to give him the best start in life. I was ok for a few weeks after he was born, and then I had gallstones, which played merry hell with everything. I’d make half hearted attempts to get back on track after that, but would run out of steam pretty quickly. Even two near fatal DKAs weren’t enough to make me get my act together, sadly. I was given a three month trial of the Libre before Christmas, and told that if I could reduce my HbA1c by 27, then I could have it long term. It was the constant finger pricks, for me. I’m a silversmith, so I work with metal and my hands are generally filthy. Or I’m making things with yarn and fabric, so bleeding everywhere was an issue - and I got so sore. So I’d skip tests, and then days of tests, and then weeks.... you know how it goes. So being able to just scan my arm to see what’s going on has been the game changer for me. I don’t mind injecting, or even eating differently to everyone else - I’ve got some odd food allergies anyway!

I think if you can work out which one thing causes you the most difficulty and find a way to look at it differently, the rest becomes easier (not easy, it’s never easy) to handle. One thing for me was the isolation and loneliness of it. People would sympathise, but nobody really KNOWS unless they have it too. I didn’t know my other T1s, either online or in meatspace. I got chatting to a woman on Facebook messenger after a long comment thread, and we chat most days and encourage each other with BG readings, food ideas and suggestions etc. We’ve both helped the other enormously, I think. Her results are better, as are mine - and we keep the other motivated.

I have no idea if my current strategies will keep me in control of it forever, but they are certainly working for now!
 
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